"Yeah this looks like a great place to just roll around and relax here for the whole day. Especially on a clear day like it is today." I say as Jin and I connect gazes.
Victor chuckles aloud. "Indeed it does. That settles it then. On my next lunch break, I'm going to take a nap here." Jin rolls her eyes, then clears her throat to draw our attention back to her. "Okay, next place." With that we head to the one place I know I just had to see. I can feel excitement build up in my chest.
The botanical gardens are absolutely stunning. The flowers of the season bloom in the beautifully kept garden. The different colors and shapes of flowers take my breath away. The pure white tulips, the bright red azaleas, the yellow narcissus daffodil, and purple peonies all stand out with glorious colors and magnificent arrangements. To my surprise, there are no roses in bloom yet, which happens to be my favorite flower. Which means, where did the white rose come from that I made into my bookmark charm? I can't help but twiddle it in between my fingers in my pocket.
"This is where students come to relax and take time for themselves. It's recommended not to bring food here. And yes Victor, this is a perfect place to take a nap on one of the benches." Victor chuckles nervously like he's been caught red handed. His cheeks grow a tad red with embarrassment.
"Oh that's right," I say suddenly. "This is where you and I met for the second time, Jin." I smile at her, hoping this means we are friends now and not just acquaintances.
"Yes it is. And the greenhouse is where we keep our strange, foreign flowers and plants. Over here we've mainly got Gervorshe's seasonal flowers." I take a moment to smell one of the peonies. The fragrance fills my mind and body with the utmost joy.
"I'm not one for flowers," says Victor. "But this place doesn't seem half bad." I look at Victor curiously.
"How could you not like flowers?! I mean look at them!" I burst out loudly right at Victor's face. My cheeks grow red, and I can see that I've taken him off his guard. Jin lets out a cough, and I decide to let Victor off the hook for now.
"Let's go. We still have more places to go before the sun goes down." I turn my attention towards Jin and follow her away. After a long afternoon of exploring and marking down my map, we have come back to the courtyard. Jin shows us the dorm where she stays in, and to my surprise it is coed. She then continues to show us the castle front courtyard, the entrances to the forbidden forest, and even the easiest way to get to town. Victor looks tired, and to be honest so does Jin. But I am full of excitement and ready for more. I've got to explore almost every place except the tower and forest. This is a lifelong dream of mine to be here, and I can't seem to get enough of it.
"Well, that's about it. Now it's time for us to head back to the dorms." I agree. I spent all the time exploring but I didn't get any of the homework done, and I'm just barely starting. Everyone else has had time to learn a lot more than me. "That's right, we have a curfew right now." Jin looks at me with an expression I can't seem to read.
"My quarters are in a different direction than your dorm Freya, so I cannot walk with you. I am sorry." I can hear some kind of disappointment in her voice. Maybe she really wants to walk with me, but she can't. "I can take her," Victor says. "My town house in the village is on the way after we pass the dorms. I can walk you there myself so you're safe." I almost jumped at Victor to give him a hug, but I control my behavior and stand still. "Thank you, I'd be very grateful." And just like that, we all leave. Jin goes in a different direction, heading west, while Victor and I go towards my dorms.
"You and Jin seem close. How long have you guys been friends?" Victor says as we walk on.
"We actually just met yesterday. So we haven't really known each other long. But it does feel like I've known her a long time. Like we've been childhood friends, but we aren't." I chuckle lightly and pick up my pace to keep up with Victor, who seems to be walking a lot faster than me.
"Well, she seems like a really nice person. I'm glad you made a friend right off the bat." Silence falls between us for a while. It's not an awkward silence though, and it seems to have lightened my mood quite a bit. A warm sunset begins, and the evening breeze kicks up. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Victor's hair blowing in the breeze, letting me see his face a lot easier.
"I'm really glad I got to see you again Victor. I thought I'd seen the last of you at the station." I say quietly. I can feel my cheeks flush, and I can't help but tilt my head downwards. "Stop, you're going to make me blush. When I look at someone as innocent as you, it makes me feel a lot more at ease." I glance up, to see him looking at me instead of the walkway ahead of us. I can see a sense of playfulness coming from his eyes.
"Am I really that innocent? Is that a compliment, to be innocent?" I say, trying not to let him see how much he makes my heart pound in my chest. He makes me feel different. I've never felt the way I do now with anyone else. "I'd say. And plus, you're childish enough that you seem like a little sister to me." A giant stake runs through my heart. I can't help but almost hyperventilate. Am I really that young and childish that he sees me as his sister? I'm only a few years younger than him too. This is so embarrassing...
"No need to puff up your cheeks like that." With that, he places his hand on my head. My heart almost leaps out of my chest, but the next thing I know, my school emblem begins to glow in my breast pocket. Then Victor's breast pocket starts to glow as well. A ball of light appears from my emblem and Victor's; The two float between us and combine into one. Then, they burst with a bang and rain light particles down on us. Both of us stand there in amazement as the light falls all around. What was that? My emblem just started -
I burst forward at him. He takes a step back after being surprised at my sudden launch.
"Well the Professor told me that I was basically a student, so he kind of just gave me an emblem as a formality. And they both glowed.... WAIT!! Does this mean we're buddies?!?" He practically jumps out of his own skin. The look on his face completely changes in a split second. "But wait, students here sometimes never find their buddies right? So why'd I get one with a placeholder of an emblem then?" I hold my emblem in my hands and look down at it as the glowing subsides. Can this really be true? Is Victor really my buddy?
"Now this is something. When the emblems have spoken, well, there's no turning back." He says with a better sounding tone. If he becomes my partner I'd just cause trouble for him, since I'm only here on trial. But so is he, really. "Well, that's that and there's no turning back." Victor then lets out an undaunted grin. "Well here's to being buddies then Freya." Yeah, there is no point in getting worked up. Since we are already buddies, we might as well make the best of it.
Victor brings out his hand in between us and looks me in the eyes. "Might as well have an official handshake." I take his hand with a smile. I can feel my cheeks heat up too. The rest of the walk to my dorm is a pleasant silence. And this time, I can't help but smile gently at myself as our hands bump into each other as we walk.
After we reach the entrance of the dorm, we shake hands again and go our separate ways. I can still feel his hand on my hand, and I blush furiously. I have so much to tell Amelia.
-----